Internal Migration in Bhutan

Abstract

With a population of 0.8 million, Bhutan is a small, mountainous, landlocked country located to the north of India. Nationally representative data on internal migration were collected for the first time in 2005 as part of the first nationwide census, with questions focussing on lifetime migration, duration of residence, reasons for moving and mover characteristics. Census data collected in 2017 show that the Bhutanese are highly mobile with 40 per cent having moved between districts since birth. With nearly 40 per cent of its population resident in cities, up from 15 per cent in 1994, Bhutan is in the midst of the urban transition and is dominated by rural-to- urban migration. Intermediate levels of migration effectiveness coupled with moderate intensities underpin average population redistribution. Migration flows follow a clear east-west direction that reflects a marked spatial gradient in levels of socioeconomic development. Urban areas in the west of the country have experienced net population gains at the last two censuses, triggering policy concerns about overcrowding and service shortages, which have resulted in improved infrastructure provision in rural areas in the east of the country in an effort to curb rural-to-urban migration.